


Library Boy

by FieryRedheadedGoddess



Category: Broadway RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-07-16 13:24:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7270018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FieryRedheadedGoddess/pseuds/FieryRedheadedGoddess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noble Patterson has been locking eyes with a boy in the library for weeks and then he mysteriously invites her to a party. Is the chemistry as unmistakable as she thinks or is it all in her head?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Library Boy

“Ohmygosh, library friend. Ten o’clock,” my best friend, Cas, whispers in my ear. I spin around, pretending like I’m dancing but really I’m just scoping out the cute boy that I’ve been locking eyes with for weeks. We haven’t actually talked but he was the one who invited me to this party. I’m not a frequent party-goer but after the mysterious invitation, I was intrigued enough to show up.  
It all started three or so weeks ago. I had been sitting on the top floor of Ithaca’s library. Since we were on floor five, that meant there was no talking allowed, not even the clicking of pens. I was flipping through my textbook, taking notes to review for my final. Suddenly, a phone buzzed and a shock of fear tore through me. I had forgotten to turn off my phone again. Red-faced, I had looked up to see who had witnessed my mistake but my eyes were met with only one other pair of baby blues. The rest of the room was empty so I gave a weak smile and then turned back to my work. About twenty minutes later, the cute boy finished up his work and left me alone in the room.  
The next day when I returned to study some more, he was there again. And for a week after that as well. After a week of awkward gazes and half-flirtatious smiles, we were still playing the same game each day.  
Then, one day I arrived and the perplexing boy wasn’t there. I sighed. I don’t know what I was expecting but there was something exhilarating about him being there everyday with me. The day after that, he wasn’t there once again and I thought that he was setting a new pattern until he walked in about thirty minutes after my arrival. He didn’t take his normal spot at the table across the room. Instead, he came over and sat across and one to the left of my seat at the first rectangular table in the room.  
I looked up and couldn’t help a silent chuckle. I bit my lip, smiling at him and shaking my head a little before refocusing on my work. He sat with me everyday after that until last night: Thursday. He didn’t come and sit. He just walked in, passed me a note and left. I unfolded the paper and read the penciled-in message:

Hey, I won’t be in the library for the next few days but my friend’s throwing a party for the closing of Romeo and Juliet tomorrow night. 9:00 in the theater. See you there.

That cocky bastard assumed I was coming without even telling me his name. Well, he was right. I went straight to Cas’s room after that and told her all about it. Then, she helped me pick out an outfit. My classes on Friday seemed to drag by, as did the entire day on Saturday. I tried to refocus and study for finals but my mind kept wandering to the cute boy from the library. Were we going on a date? We’ve never even spoken a word to each other. Why did he want me to come to this party for a show I wasn’t even in?  
Finally, seven o’clock rolled around and I met Cas for dinner at the Ithaca Ale House. Cassiopeia Stewart has been my best friend since kindergarten. She was originally planning on going to Boston University, got accepted and everything. But it was her family’s legacy that tilted her towards BU and she wanted to do as much as she could to stray away from that. She quickly sent in her confirmation that she would be attending Ithaca with me before her parents could say a word about it.  
She had sat across from me at the dinner table, rarely pulling her phone out of her nose. If I had mentioned it, she would have insisted it was for my own good. She was looking through the cast of Romeo and Juliet trying to identify which one was the “library friend.” She barely made it through the cast by the time I finished eating, which made me think that she had been doing something else on there as well.  
We got to the party a few minutes early but library boy was nowhere to be found so that brings us back to right now.  
“Ohmygod, what do I even say to him, Cas? We’ve never spoken before…” I trail off. I don’t have time to listen to Cas’s answer before I feel a tap on my shoulder. I whirl around to see him standing right in front of me. Mysteriously close, in fact.  
Wow, I think. He’s even more attractive when he’s this close. Those eyes. The perfect shade of blue. And his hair, perfectly combed into place. I suddenly get self-conscious, wondering if he spent more time on his hair than I had on mine.  
Without even an introduction, library boy holds out his hand and asks me if I want to dance. I nod curtly and follow him out to where some of the people have gathered. There is music playing but I am more focused on the boy in front of me. He holds my hand up and places his other on my waist. I follow suit, placing my hand on his shoulder. We sway to the music for a minute or so before I just have to know. “So do you have a name?” I ask, rather bluntly.  
“Aaron… Tveit. And you?”  
“Belly.”  
“Belly?” Aaron asks, clearly trying to muffle a laugh and failing.  
“It’s short for Noble.” I pause. “Did you really think my parents named me Belly?”  
He smirked. It was a good look on him. “I don’t know what to think. You’re quite the mystifying creature, Belly.”  
“Oh, yeah?” I giggled.  
“Yes. All those days in the library. We would make eye contact and smile and each day when I walked by you for the door, you stayed right in your seat. Never once did you follow me out to ask who I was or anything else about me for that matter. You just let me be.”  
“How was I supposed to know you wanted me to follow you?” I get slightly defensive and bite my lip, hoping I hadn’t scared him. He waits for a moment. His eyes crinkle like that thought had never occurred to him and then we are interrupted by one of his friends who comes up spewing about how they need help getting the back door open so they can get the kegs in. I shake my head. Like I said. Not a party girl, not a drinking girl. Not underage at least.  
Aaron grabs my hand. “I’ll be back,” he promises before disappearing off with his friend. I look around to find Cas but she’s off in a corner with her boyfriend, Mitchell. Not wanting to interrupt, I head on up the stairs to where the concessions are usually sold at performances. I find a water and take a seat at one of the tables in the lobby.  
About five minutes later, Aaron returns with a solo cup in his hand and pulls me up from my seat. “Can we finish that dance now?” I smile and let him drag me onto the dance floor. The song that is slow enough for the dancing we were doing before is over and now the DJ is playing an upbeat techno song so we do more bouncing than actual dancing and I watch as Aaron tries not to spill his drink. We laugh and when the song ends, he takes my hand again and brings me through the crowd of people out the doors of the theater and towards the beautiful fountains.  
The fountains had always been one of my favorite things about Ithaca. They were gorgeous and when you came out at night, they were lit up in magnificent colors. Tonight is no exception. The fountains cast neon shadows all over Aaron and I as we walk past them to the tables on the other side. He doesn’t let my hand go when we sit as I was expecting he would.  
“So Belly…” he begins, “tell me all about you. You’ve had me guessing since that first day in the library.”  
I grin. “And what were you guessing?”  
“If I tell you, you won’t laugh and you’ll tell me after?” I nod quickly and he continues. I sense nervousness in his voice. “Well… you are clearly dedicated to your studies since you’ve been in the library every day for weeks. You get embarrassed easily. You’re… let me guess… an English major.” The look on my face lets him know he’s right and he celebrates this victory with an award-winning smile. “And you don’t know how stunningly beautiful you are. That’s why you didn’t chase after me. You didn’t know what to make of me but you figured it was nothing.”  
I let out a deep breath. “Right on. I have to say I hadn’t gone that in depth in guessing. I just wondered mostly.”  
“So you hate being wrong.” I blush, knowing its true and not wanting to admit it out loud. “It’s okay,” he comforts me. “I hate being wrong, too.” Then I just smile and he smiles.  
Suddenly, we’re interrupted by another of Aaron’s friends. “Dude,” he screams, “you’re missing one of your favorite songs.” Aaron raises his eyebrows and then leads me back inside. Once we are in the theater again, I can hear the song that’s playing. Taylor Swift- “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” I stifle a chuckle knowing that this is one of Aaron’s favorite songs. We dance none the less and he twirls me around and sings along with the blaring music.  
We continue dancing for what seems like forever. Eventually, Cas comes over and tells me that she and Mitchell are leaving. “I trust you’re safe here,” she winks as Aaron takes a sip from his recently refilled cup. I’m assuming that’s what he did when he disappeared a few minutes ago and emerged with another cup full of sloshing liquid. Eventually another slow song came on and I felt like I was at a middle school dance. Everyone seemed so awkward which was funny since everyone was just grinding on each other. It was like they didn’t know how to slow dance, just how to twerk. Aaron set his drink down on the counter and then pulled me in towards him. “Is it okay if I have this dance?” Aaron whispered in my ear, his breath hot on my neck. One or two inches closer and his warm lips would be planted on my neck. I tried to distract my mind from that thought but it stuck in there anyway as we danced and he didn’t move his head.  
In an attempt to pull my thoughts away from Aaron, I focus on the song playing. It’s a Joni Mitchell song called “A Case of You.”  
“Wow,” I say. “I’m impressed that they’re playing Joni Mitchell.”  
Aaron finally pulls his head back so he can see my face. “I’m impressed you know this is Joni Mitchell.” There’s a smile on his face that spreads right onto mine.  
For the rest of the song, I rest my head on his chest. I can pretend it’s because I’m tired but really, it just feels right there. Like it belongs.  
We dance for a few more songs before our dance party is rudely interrupted by someone who had too much to drink and then spilled the rest of their booze down my back. I screech a little as the beer slides down the back of the shirt I borrowed from Cas. Aaron looks like he’s going to punch the guy who got a little too tipsy but he doesn’t. Instead, he grabs my arm and yanks me out the doors of the theater. “Come on, my dorm room is right over here. I’ll get you something to wear so you don’t reek of beer.”  
I begin to say “No, that’s okay. I’m ready to call it a night,” when I stop myself. I’m not ready to call it a night. I’m not ready to say goodbye to Aaron because I don’t know what the future holds for us. And if it holds no further interactions, then I want to make sure this night lasts as long as possible.  
He’s right. His dorm is very close to the theater. We hike up the stairs until we reach a room with the names Aaron and Jeremy on the door. I point to the door with an inquizitive look on my face but Aaron quickly tells me that his roommate is gone for the weekend. Aaron lets us both in and then goes rummaging through his drawers to find me a shirt to wear. He pulls out a t-shirt from the his bureau and tosses it to me. I catch it left-handed, even though I am right-handed and then we just stand there for a moment, looking at each other. Just as Aaron begins to say, “I’ll wait in the hall,” I lift my shirt over my head.  
“It’s okay,” I whisper. “It’s not like I’ve never changed in front of someone before.”  
Aaron just looks me over. Not like I’m a piece of meat or merchandise but like he’s just seen something amazing. I smile weakly, not from awkwardness like the past few weeks but because he’s making me feel so incredibly special and it’s making me weak.  
We just stand there in silence, desire burning behind our eyes. The same eyes that are trying to find the line and make sure we don’t cross it. I bite my lip and Aaron teeters forward. “I really want to kiss you right now but I don’t want to freak you out.” Without saying a word, I wiggle my finger, drawing him towards me. I close my eyes briefly and take a deep breath as he slowly walks towards me. I can’t tell if he’s purposely walking so damn slow or if he’s just as nervous about what’s about to happen as I am. Finally, he standing right before me and my breath catches. I just look up at him and he smiles down at me. “Well, are you gonna kiss me or not?”  
I grin as his head swoops down and he presses his lips to mine. The kiss is as magical as I expected it to be. His soft lips press onto mine with the perfect amount of pressure. He works my lips open and slides in his tongue, rolling it like a wave in the ocean that’s exploring the sand and the rocks on shore. I reach my arms up and clasp them around the back of his neck. I twist my fingers around the hair at the back of his neck, pulling him in closer towards me. He boosts me up and I wrap my legs around him without my mouth ever leaving his. As he lays me down on his bed and he takes his shirt up over his head, I realize that we were never going to just forget this night. I was stupid for worrying that my time with Aaron was going to come to an end. It was only beginning.


End file.
